Maria Christina Hamel & Alessandro Mendini, Milano

Maria Christina Hamel, born in New Delhi in 1958, is one of Italy's leading designers. She completed her degree at the Milan School of Design in 1979 and subsequently took up a post as Alessandro Mendini's assistant. She has led design teams for Alessi, Swarovski, Rado, Swatch and Türler. In 1992 she created her ceramic "Una zebra a pois" which was followed by "Mille bolle blu" in 1993. She has made her name chiefly with designs for glass and porcelain manufacturers. The architect Alessandro Mendini also ranks among Italy's best-known designers. With his theories and ideas, he has seminally shaped avant-garde design in Italy, not least in his capacity as publisher and editor-in-chief of the magazines Casabella, Modo and Domus. Alongside famous buildings like the art museum in Groningen and Paradise Tower in Hiroshima, he has developed numerous trailblazing product designs.

Maria Christina Hamel, born in New Delhi in 1958, is one of Italy's leading designers. She completed her degree at the Milan School of Design in 1979 and subsequently took up a post as Alessandro Mendini's assistant. She has led design teams for Alessi, Swarovski, Rado, Swatch and Türler. In 1992 she created her ceramic "Una zebra a pois" which was followed by "Mille bolle blu" in 1993. She has made her name chiefly with designs for glass and porcelain manufacturers.

The architect Alessandro Mendini also ranks among Italy's best-known designers. With his theories and ideas, he has seminally shaped avant-garde design in Italy, not least in his capacity as publisher and editor-in-chief of the magazines Casabella, Modo and Domus. Alongside famous buildings like the art museum in Groningen and Paradise Tower in Hiroshima, he has developed numerous trailblazing product designs.